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Ducks Sign Ian Moore

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The Ducks have officially signed one of their defense prospects, announcing that they’ve inked defenseman Ian Moore to a two-year, entry-level contract.  The deal begins this season while financial terms were not disclosed.

The 23-year-old was a third-round pick by Anaheim in 2020, going 67th overall after playing at St. Mark’s at the high school level.  Moore then spent one season with USHL Chicago before beginning his college career at Harvard in 2021.

Moore spent four seasons with the Crimson with his best offensive showing coming in his sophomore year when he had 19 points in 34 games.  This season, he came up a bit short of that point total, notching three goals and 11 helpers in 32 contests before turning pro last month on a tryout deal with AHL San Diego.

Moore has done well with the Gulls, collecting a goal and four assists in nine games which has helped him officially secure this contract.  Speculatively, the concept of starting in the minors and then being converted to an NHL deal that begins this season was likely discussed last month when Moore first joined San Diego.  While it’s not a common route for prospects, Anaheim did this with Sam Colangelo last season, starting him with the Gulls and then converting his deal late.

With the signing, Moore will now report to Anaheim for their final three games and will join the team today for practice.  By burning a year early, he’ll become a restricted free agent in the 2026 offseason.

Blackhawks Sign Aidan Thompson

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The Blackhawks have signed another one of their promising prospects.  A couple of weeks after inking Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel, they announced that they’ve signed forward Aidan Thompson to a two-year, entry-level contract.  The deal begins next season and will carry a cap hit of $895K.

The 23-year-old was a third-round pick by Chicago back in 2022, going 90th overall after an impressive showing with USHL Lincoln where he had 82 points in 57 games, putting him fourth in league scoring.  Thompson then made the jump to the University of Denver for the 2022-23 campaign and did well in his freshman year, notching 32 points in as many games with them.

Things didn’t go as well for Thompson from an individual standpoint last year.  While Denver won the NCAA title, his output dipped slightly to 11 goals and 19 assists in 44 games, raising some question marks heading into this season.  Those were certainly answered and then some, however, as Thompson finished the year with 21 goals and 34 assists in 44 games, good for not just second on the Pioneers in scoring but second in Division I overall.  That performance was clearly enough for Chicago to get him to put pen to paper on his first professional contract.

While Thompson’s deal doesn’t start until next season, he should have a chance to make his pro debut in the coming days as he has inked a tryout agreement with AHL Rockford.  The IceHogs have five games left in their regular season and are getting close to clinching the final playoff spot in the Central Division so Thompson should be able to get into the lineup with them in the near future.

Stars Recall Alexander Petrovic

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The Stars have added a bit of depth to their back end heading into tonight’s game versus Utah.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Alexander Petrovic from AHL Texas.

It’s the fourth recall of the season for the 33-year-old although playing time on the first three was hard to come by.  Petrovic has been limited to just three games this season in Dallas, being held off the scoresheet in a little over 35 minutes of action.  Still, it’s the second straight season of him getting into an NHL game which is notable as prior to last year, Petrovic’s last action at the top level was back in 2018-19.

Petrovic has once again spent the bulk of the season in Texas and through 58 outings with them, he has five goals and 20 assists.  Texas has been Petrovic’s professional home for the last four years and likely will be his home again next season as he has one season left on his two-year, two-way contract signed last summer.

Team radio analyst Bruce LeVine relays (Twitter link) that several players are questionable for tonight’s game due to illness so it appears as if Petrovic is up as insurance if some of the defensemen can’t go.  In that case, he’ll qualify as an emergency recall and not count against their post-deadline limit of four.

Oilers Recall Cam Dineen, Assign Olivier Rodrigue To AHL

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The Oilers have made a pair of roster moves in advance of Friday’s game against San Jose.  The team announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Cam Dineen from AHL Bakersfield on an emergency basis while also returning goaltender Olivier Rodrigue to the Condors.  As part of the announcement, Edmonton noted that the emergency conditions for Rodrigue had concluded, meaning Stuart Skinner has been cleared to return to the lineup.

It’s the third recall of the season for Dineen although the first two didn’t yield much action as he suited up just once for Edmonton, his first NHL appearance since the 2021-22 season when he played in 34 games for Arizona.  The 26-year-old has spent most of the year in Bakersfield and has done well offensively, leading all Condors blueliners in scoring with nine goals and 34 assists through 59 games.

Rodrigue, meanwhile, was brought up late last month when Skinner suffered a head injury.  The 24-year-old made his first two NHL appearances during this stint, one start and one relief appearance, turning aside 25 of 29 shots in a little over 77 minutes of action.  Rodrigue has played in a career-best 40 games with Bakersfield this season, posting a 3.05 GAA and a .899 SV%.

As for Skinner, he has missed the last two weeks with that head injury.  It has been an up-and-down year for him once again.  He has a 2.91 GAA and a .894 SV% through 49 games, his worst marks over the last four seasons.  Meanwhile, Calvin Pickard has played well in Skinner’s absence so Skinner won’t have much time to re-stake his claim to the top spot heading to the playoffs.

East Notes: Bruins, Greaves, Cousins, Penguins

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The Bruins are shutting down defenseman Charlie McAvoy and center Mark Kastelic for the final week of the season, relays Boston.com’s Conor Ryan (Twitter link).  Interim head coach Joe Sacco indicated that both players are making progress from their respective injuries but will run out of time before the year comes to an end.  McAvoy has missed the last two months with a shoulder injury sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off; his year comes to an end with just 23 points in 50 games, the lowest point total of his eight-year NHL career.  As for Kastelic, he has missed the last three weeks with an upper-body issue.  He finishes with a career-best 14 points in 61 games while chipping in with 128 hits, earning him a three-year, $4.7MM extension in early January.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • With Elvis Merzlikins unavailable for tonight’s must-win game against Buffalo, the Blue Jackets announced the recall of Jet Greaves from AHL Cleveland on an emergency basis. The 24-year-old has been up with Columbus several times this season, posting a 2.83 GAA and a .905 SV% in six outings heading into today’s action.  He has a 2.62 GAA and a .910 SV% in 40 games with the Monsters and with Daniil Tarasov struggling, Greaves got the start against the Sabres.
  • Senators winger Nick Cousins was a full participant in practice today and hasn’t been ruled out of Friday’s game against Montreal, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Originally expected to miss at least three months after suffering a knee injury in late January, it looks like the 31-year-old will be able to beat that by a couple of weeks at least.  Ottawa will have to make a roster move in order to activate Cousins off LTIR as they don’t have the cap space to add him back to the roster otherwise.  Cousins has 13 points and 80 hits in 47 games this season.
  • The Penguins announced (Twitter link) that forwards Noel Acciari, Blake Lizotte, Rutger McGroarty, Matthew Nieto, and Thomas Novak are all being shut down for the final few games of the season. Those players being out provide the context for the three players Pittsburgh recalled earlier today.  Of the absences, McGroarty is the most notable as he had been given a bigger role since being recalled late last month, logging over 16 minutes a night while playing on the top line as the Penguins hoped to give one of their top prospects a good look down the stretch but that look winds up being shorter than expected.

Brock Boeser Unlikely To Stay With Canucks This Summer

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The Canucks have been mathematically eliminated from the postseason. For the fourth time in the last five years, they’ll end their season with more focus on exit interviews than must-win games. In the case of this year’s Canucks squad, an early end will also bring tough questions about star players back to the surface.

Trade rumors swirled around the team’s offense for much of the season, with winger Brock Boeser at the forefront of a lot of speculation. Boeser was believed to be a top name at the Trade Deadline after failing to agree on an extension with Vancouver. But a rich asking price kept the former 40-goal scorer in place past the deadline. Now, a few months later, Boeser shared that a return seems unlikely when asked about his next contract by Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre:

Honestly, it’s unlikely at this point. It sucks, it’s unfortunate. I’m just trying to play good hockey, and then I’ll worry about everything after that. We all know it’s been a roller coaster of a year. There’s been a lot of different things.

News that Boeser is headed out of Vancouver isn’t necessarily a surprise given that contract extension discussions didn’t yield much traction throughout the season even as those talks were held close to the deadline.  But still, likely losing a long-term core player for no return in a year that saw Vancouver also miss the playoffs has to sting for GM Patrik Allvin.

Barring an unlikely change of heart over the next two-plus months, Boeser will test unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career.  He’ll be doing so on a bit of a down year relative to his performance a year ago when he had 40 goals and 33 assists, both career highs.  Through 71 games this season, Boeser has 25 goals and 24 helpers, numbers that are closer to his career norms.

Back in late February, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported that Boeser declined a five-year, $40MM extension, an offer that would have given him a $1.35MM raise compared to his current deal.  Had he been able to replicate his 40-goal effort from 2023-24, he’d have been well-positioned to beat that on the open market.

But last season is also the only time that Boeser reached the 60-point mark, let alone 70.  In previous years, his point totals have ranged from 45 to 56 with some of those coming in shortened seasons between injuries and a shorter schedule in 2019-20 and 2020-21.  Even with some significant increases coming in the salary cap, how much more could Boeser realistically command when his track record of production is more of a high-end second liner most years?  That question will be answered in a few months and it doesn’t appear that the Canucks will be the team to provide it.

PHR’s Gabriel Foley contributed to this post.

Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.

Golden Knights Recall Alexander Holtz

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After spending the last two months in the minors, Alexander Holtz is getting another NHL shot.  The Golden Knights have recalled the winger according to the NHL’s Media Portal while Danny Webster relays (Twitter link) that Holtz was on the third line in the morning skate.

The 23-year-old was acquired at the draft last year from New Jersey with Vegas hoping that a change of scenery could help unlock things for the 2020 seventh overall selection.  However, that didn’t exactly happen.  Holtz had a limited role with the Golden Knights in the first half of the season, notching just three goals and eight assists in 49 games while averaging 11:31 per night.  That playing time was similar to last season with the Devils when Holtz put up 16 goals and 12 helpers while playing all 82 games.  Instead of taking a step forward, he took a step back offensively.

That resulted in the Golden Knights taking a step back with Holtz when they assigned him to AHL Henderson in early February.  He certainly had more success with the Silver Knights, tallying seven goals and six assists in 16 appearances to earn this promotion.

It’s one that could be short-lived, however.  Webster notes (Twitter link) that winger Victor Olofsson was held out of the game day skate due to illness but could still play tonight against Seattle.  In that case, emergency conditions would no longer apply, meaning Holtz would either have to be returned to Henderson or be converted to one of their four post-deadline regular recalls.

In other Vegas news, Webster adds that center Jack Eichel remains listed as day-to-day and won’t suit up against the Kraken.  However, center Tomas Hertl was a full participant in the morning skate and appears to be set to play on the second line so they will at least get one impact center back for this one as they look to get one spot closer to clinching the Pacific Division title.  Hertl missed a little more than two weeks with a shoulder injury but still sits second on the Golden Knights in goals with 33 and third on the team in points with 59 in 70 games.

Pacific Notes: Nyman, Toffoli, George

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After a strong first stint in the NHL, the Kraken announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned winger Jani Nyman to AHL Coachella Valley.  The 20-year-old was recalled last month and got into a dozen games with Seattle where he put up three goals and three assists in just under 14 minutes of playing time.  Nyman is in his first full season in North America and had been doing quite well with the Firebirds prior to being recalled as he had 26 goals and 15 assists in 55 outings with them.  With the Kraken’s season ending next week, Nyman will focus up on finishing strong with a Coachella Valley squad that has already locked up a spot in the playoffs, allowing his season to continue for at least a little longer.

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • Sharks winger Tyler Toffoli won’t play tonight against Calgary due to a lower-body injury, relays Max Miller of The Hockey News (Twitter link). He’s listed as out day-to-day.  Toffoli has had a strong first year in San Jose, tallying 28 goals and 22 assists, good for third on the team in points while leading the way in goals.  He’s expected to accompany the club on their upcoming four-game road trip so unlike his teammate Shakir Mukhamadullin whose season is over, Toffoli should be back before the campaign comes to an end next week.
  • The Kings’ AHL affiliate in Ontario announced that Los Angeles has reassigned goaltender Carter George to the Reign. The 18-year-old was the third goalie taken at the draft last June, going late in the second round at 57th overall.  The 18-year-old played in 47 games with OHL Owen Sound this season, posting a 3.35 GAA and a .909 SV% before the Attack got eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs.  George won’t be eligible to play full-time for Ontario next season so this will just be an opportunity for him to keep skating for a bit longer and perhaps get into his first taste of professional competition.

2025 College Free Agency Preview: Goaltenders And Defensemen

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As is always the case at this time of year, we’ve seen an influx of collegiate signings in recent weeks which is likely to continue over the next little while.  Generally speaking, college free agents are rarely coming in as impact prospects with high NHL ceilings but it’s an opportunity for teams to add some depth pieces that are further along in their development compared to players coming out of major junior.

We’re changing things up a bit in our annual preview this time around.  Last month, Gabriel Foley took a closer look at the most prominent players from this year’s class.  Meanwhile, we’re breaking down the rest of the class in two separate columns, one for forwards and one for the rest of the unsigned goaltenders and defensemen, the focus of this last piece.

As always, note that not all of these players will sign entry-level contracts as some will ultimately elect to return to college for another season (or more) while quite a few others not on this list have already signed or will sign NHL or AHL deals in the coming weeks.

Goalies

Matt Davis (Denver)

He took over as the starting goaltender last season and led the Pioneers to the NCAA title.  This year, the 23-year-old put up even better numbers and Denver once again made it to the Frozen Four.  While he’s smaller than teams like goalies nowadays (he stands 6’1), the recent track record of success in big games should garner him some interest in free agency.

Cameron Rowe (Western Michigan)

A two-year starter for the Broncos heading into this season, he wound up having to split time this year with Los Angeles prospect Hampton Slukynsky which probably won’t help his value.  Still, the 23-year-old played quite well with a 2.00 GAA and a .924 SV% in his 17 outings while his 6’3 stature helps his appeal as well.

Alex Tracy (Minnesota State Mankato)

The lone goalie to land in the top ten in Hobey Baker voting, Tracy was the CCHA Goalie of the Year following a stellar performance that saw him put up a 1.42 GAA and a .946 SV% along with five shutouts in 38 games; his GAA and SV% led Division I.  However, at 6’0, he’s on the smaller side and we’ve seen smaller Hobey Baker contenders have to settle for AHL contracts before.  Tracy still has a year of eligibility left but his overall value hasn’t been this high before.

Defense

Boston Buckberger (Denver)

After an impressive freshman year, Buckberger showed that his output was no fluke as he landed in the top ten for scoring by a Division I blueliner.  Still just 21, there is still plenty of developmental runway left which should appeal to NHL teams.  However, at 5’11, he’s undersized but Buckberger has shown enough offensively while playing big minutes for a top team that he should be getting some inquiries about leaving with two years of eligibility left.

Frank Djurasevic (Maine)

The decision to transfer after his freshman year at Merrimack was a wise one as he went from a depth role there to a key one at Maine.  He’s a bit of a later bloomer as he played three USHL seasons before going to college but after showing offensive upside at that level, he was in the top 20 for NCAA Division I defenders this season.  A right-shot defender, he could get some interest now but staying in school for one more year might make more sense.

C.J. Foley (Dartmouth)

A lot of what was said about Buckberger could be said here.  He’s an undersized but still-young (21) defender who took a step forward offensively this season with 30 points in 33 games.  He’s only a year removed from being draft-eligible so it would be a bit surprising if he’s signed this spring but his play should have him on the radar after being a unanimous selection to the ECAC’s First-Team All-Conference.

Brandon Holt (Maine)

Holt was on the radar early in the year when he was averaging over a point per game through the first month of the season.  However, he wasn’t able to sustain that over the back half of the season.  That likely takes him off the NHL radar for now but with how strong his start was, you never know.

Jake Livanavage (North Dakota)

One of the youngest players on this list, Liavanage doesn’t turn 21 until next month and was draft-eligible last year.  He had a very impressive freshman year last season but a 5’10 stature likely didn’t help his case.  However, Liavanage flirted with the 30-point mark once again, showing that the strong start wasn’t the outlier.  Like Foley, it would be a bit surprising if he signed so soon after being draft eligible but he should be on more radars now if nothing else.

Michael Mastrodomenico (Notre Dame)

If there’s such a thing as an ‘old 20’, Mastrodomenico might qualify.  Turning 21 next weekend, he has already played three full college seasons and more than doubled his point total from a year ago.  A right-shot defender, the more prudent move for him might be to play his senior season and then test the open market but if nothing else, he’ll be one to keep an eye on next spring.

Ben Robertson (Cornell)

There’s a theme for several players on this list – young and undersized.  This is once again the case for Robertson who was passed up last year in the draft following a quality first NCAA season.  This season, Robertson – who doesn’t turn 21 until September – played at a similar level.  A quality playmaker in the USHL, he’d likely be better off staying in school for at least one more year and hope to take a step forward offensively before looking to sign.  To that end, Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal suggests (Twitter link) that Notre Dame, Michigan, and Denver are among the schools interested in him.

Red Wings Linked To Arvid Holm

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After a strong season in Sweden, it looks as if goaltender Arvid Holm is back on the NHL radar.  Elite Prospects’ Cam Robinson recently reported (Twitter link) that the netminder is expected to sign with Detroit for next season.

The 26-year-old spent three seasons in North America before returning to the SHL for this season.  During his time on an NHL deal, he played primarily at the AHL level, compiling a 2.80 GAA and a .897 SV% in 71 games over parts of three seasons.  Holm also got into four contests in the ECHL in 2023-24.  While he briefly had recalls to both Winnipeg and Colorado over that stretch, he has yet to appear in a game at the top level.

The Avs elected to non-tender Holm last summer, resulting in him becoming an unrestricted free agent.  He opted to sign a three-year contract with Rogle BK, a move that worked out quite well for him.  Holm put up a 1.90 GAA and a .925 SV% in 35 games, earning him the Honken Trophy as the SHL’s top goaltender for his efforts.  It appears that was good enough to catch the eye of Detroit.  Holm’s deal back home may contain an NHL out clause while if not, there is a transfer agreement in place between the NHL and the Swedish Federation that would allow Holm to exit his current contract early.

The Red Wings already have their goalie tandem intact for next season with Petr Mrazek and Cam Talbot each having one year left on their respective contracts.  They also have top prospect Sebastian Cossa signed for next season and he’ll likely get the bulk of the workload at AHL Grand Rapids.  Assuming Holm puts pen to paper on a deal, he should serve as Cossa’s backup with the Griffins with Carter Gylander, who also has one year left on his contract, remaining at ECHL Toledo.  Meanwhile, veteran Jack Campbell (a pending UFA) and youngster Gage Alexander (a pending RFA but a non-tender candidate) are on expiring contracts and seem unlikely to return.

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